Improvement in bee-hives



CHARLES FINN, [or

Leners Patent No. 102,526, .dma May 3, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-RIVES;

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part vof the sama I, CHARLES FINN, of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State ot' Iowa, have invented certain Improvements in Bee-Hives, of which the following is a specification.

I have thirty-two years of experience in keeping bees, and have had a hundred swarms at one time, and I have studied the nature and habits and. wants of' the bee very attentively.

In the multitude of hivesinvented, vthere is not one, in my humble opinion, well adapted to preserve an even temperature, to keep the bees warm in winter and cool in summer, and to atord proper ventilation.

My invention is designed- First, to keep the bees warm in"winter, in any climate, without the necessity of burying them under ground, or removing them to cellars, or to encase them with straw, and other common and troublesome methods resorted to. l

Second, to keep the bees and honey cool in the heat of" summer. y

Third, to provide a proper ventilation-at all times. Fourth, to provide'a feeding-box that is safe and accessible to the bees and to the keeper at all times.

Fifth, to protect the young broods ii'om thesudden changes of the atmosphere, by keeping an even temperatnre in the hives at all times..

The drawing is a perspective View of a half section of' my hive, showing the rootl entire.

A A is the wall of my hive, composed of the paral-A lel wooden rounds a a and the layers of paper b b, alternating between` the layers or rounds of wbod.

The vacant spaces c c thus formed may be iilled with straw, chaff, or any other material adapted for the purpose.

Felting, or straw rolled iu paper 4or cloth, or any other porous material that will absorb moisture and retain warmth, may be used in place of the layers of paper.

These rounds of wood and layers of paper are per'- manentlynailed together.

I am aware that straw hives are in use, and that wooden hives have been covered with straw; but by my method the straw or its substitute is completely eon- -cealed and inaccessible to moth. B B is the bottom, which is double, with a hollow chamber, provided in the same manner and for the same purposes as the spaces c c in the walls.

C C is` my ventilatoren' chafllbox, combined with my feed-box D D. l

This ventilator or chaff-box can be removed whenever desired, and honey-boxes put in its place.

D D is the 'feed-box.

E is a wooden cover lo the feed-box, which may be cushioned or covered with a straw pad or a bag of chad". l v F is a. box containing food or water, or -food and Water. This box may be double, one apartment lde` signed for foodl and the other for water, 'or two sepawml-1M 55mm aient @Wim Das MOINES, Iowa.'

rate vessels or boxes may be used to hold lfood and water. l

G is a frame, such as are in common use. As many las are required can be pnt in the space designed for them.

H H is the bottom of my combined ventilator and feed-box, and is made of any text-ile lfabric sutliciently open to admit of the passage `of' air and steam, and close enough to prevent the passage oi' cha".

lt is permanently attached to the bottom ot' the lframe of the chai-box C C.

I I shows openings 'in the movable wooden cover ot' the hive. I

The bottom of the chaff-box is cut away on the left side, showing one of the openings I through which the bees pass to the honey-boxes when they are occupying the place of' the chaff-box.- When the chai-box'is lrits place all the passages for the bees will be closed, excepting the one leading tothe feed-box. I

The open space around the feed-box D D, and within the chaff-box, is designedl to be filled with chaii, or any material that can be substituted there- K K is the roof', made of wooden boards.A

By this means'l provide a feed-box which is at all times accessible to the bees, and also to the keeper, and which will not be subject to frost, and which at all times provides a means oi' carrying oft" steam.

The steam may condense on the inside of the roof, but there it can 'do no harm to the bees.

The joints in the roof are not air-tight, and aiord snihcient escape for air and steam.

rIhe form and size of my hive may be varied as desired.

My combined ventilator and feed-box, together or separately, may be used advantageously 'withv most of the hives now in use. n

Claims.

I claim as my invention-' .g 1. Constructing a bee-hive with hollow walls, by

alternating layers of wood and paper, or their equiva lents, substantially as described and for the purposes specified... 2. The ventilator composed of a chaff-box, substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.

3. The feed-box, combined with the ventilator or chad-box, substantially as described and for the purposesspecifed.

' CHARLES FINN. Witnesses:

CQRYDON E. FULLER, LEWIS J. BROWN. 

